Things are about to get real, my friends. And by real I mean…really good.

I know these cupcakes have a long name, but hey, don’t judge. Let me tell you, that name is totally worth it. The crazy combination of flavors is totally worth it. And you, my friend, are totally worth it.

Now, it’s hot. It’s a million degrees outside, and all I want to do is eat ice cream. It’s a habit. Cupcakes are also a habit, but that’s an entirely different story.

Luckily, in my house, we combine great things we love. We don’t settle for less.

These ice cream cupcakes are made with homemade banana “soft serve ice cream.” There’s a mini chocolate cupcake hidden inside and a healthy topping of peanut butter icing. They’re then topped with crushed peanuts and drizzled with chocolate and a salted caramel sauce. Best of best worlds? More like best of, well, everything.

First you have to start with the banana “soft serve ice cream,” which I put in quotations because it isn’t actually ice cream. It’s ice cream-like as it is made purely of bananas, and a tad of peanut butter. I’ve seen this technique numerous times around the web, and nobody really knows where it originates from. The best guest is from The Kitchn.

Using a tablespoon, spoon batter into a lined or greased mini cupcake pan. The batter will be very thin, which is fine.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

Set aside to let cool.

Banana “Soft Serve Ice Cream”

10 ripe bananas, peeled and separated with wax paper, frozen

3 Tbsp Peanut Butter

1 Tsp Cocoa Powder

Take bananas out of freezer, and slice into small pieces. Put in food processor and blend on high until a soft serve ice cream begins to form. Add in peanut butter and cocoa powder and blend a bit more.

You can also use a magic bullet for this. A KitchenAid Stand Mixer will work as well (on low!).

Peanut Butter Icing

1/2 C Butter

2 1/4 C Powdered Sugar

1/4 C Peanut Butter

1 Tbsp Milk

1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Cream the butter, then add 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Add the milk and vanilla extract and continue to beat. Continue to add the remaining powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Beat in the peanut butter.

Chocolate Drizzle

1 C Chocolate Chips

1 Tbsp Butter

Microwave chocolate chips in a bowl, stopping to stir every 30 seconds. Once melted, stir in the butter.

Caramel Sauce

4 Tbsp Butter

3/4 C Brown Sugar

1/2 C Milk

1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1/2 Tsp Salt

Melt butter on low in a saucepan. Once melted, add brown sugar, milk, and vanilla and whisk together. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat, stir in salt, and let cool.

Assembly:

Line a regular sized cupcake pan. Scoop 1 1/2 Tbsp of Banana Soft Serve into each. With the back of a spoon, smooth the ice cream. Push a mini chocolate cupcake into the center. Top/pipe with peanut butter icing. Top with crushed peanuts, and drizzle melted chocolate and caramel over top. Freeze for 2 hours before serving.